Gerald Brown used to believe in the justice system. That was before his 11-year-old son Ephraim died after being hit in the neck by a stray bullet.

Gerald Brown, whose 11-year-old son Ephraim was killed by a stray bullet in 2007, protests outside the courthouse on University Ave. in Toronto on Saturday, days after two men were found not guilty in Ephraim's death.

That was before his 11-year-old son Ephraim died after being hit in the neck by a stray bullet while attending a backyard birthday party at a Sheppard Ave. W. housing complex on July 21, 2007.

“We’re a great example now to look at to see how the justice system fails,” Brown said, during an anti-handgun rally by Ephraim’s family and friends on Saturday.

It was the first time Brown spoke publicly since a not-guilty verdict was handed down in the case.

Last week, two 24-year-old Toronto men were acquitted of second-degree murder charges following a two-month trial. Members of the jury heard extensive evidence about rival gang members who clashed at the party.

“I don’t think anywhere is a safe community now. Canada has become a very violent nation,” Brown said. “It has become very complacent in terms of law and punishment.”

He remembers his son as “a beautiful boy” who “was of a good character.”

The verdict has been devastating to Ephraim’s family and friends, who returned to the courthouse on University Ave. to rally and voice their anguish about handguns, gang violence, and the Canadian justice system.

About a dozen people held signs with pictures of Ephraim and chanted “No guns, no more funerals.”

Standing in the bitter cold, Jason Gordon kept a picture of his friend close to his heart.

Gordon unzipped his winter jacket to show a reporter the picture of Ephraim on his shirt.

“He lived in a bad area around a lot of bad people but he was always really concerned about school work. Even for his young age, he was really smart,” said 19-year-old Gordon, who lives in Barrie, Ont.

“We blame the justice system,” said Nicole Brown, Ephraim’s aunt. “He was a little boy. He was murdered and the murderers are still walking the streets.”

Kishauna Thomas, 21, the lone eye witness in the case, testified in court that she received death threats and has been forced to move as a result of her co-operation in the case.

“People get scared of these things, the violence, the gang members. We are Ephraim’s family. We are not afraid,” Nicole Brown said. “We will do this again. We will always be a voice for Ephraim.”

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